Man Who Died In Air Show Crash Was Longtime Pilot

The pilot who died when his aerobatic plane crashed at a Wisconsin air show was an experienced commercial aviator who also flew in the military.

Police say 47-year-old William Cowden, of Menomonie, was performing aerial stunts at the Stevens Point Municipal Airport Sunday afternoon when he crashed in a wooded area. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

Cowden told a Stevens Point Journal Media reporter (http://spjour.nl/1pM9R86 ) before he began the show that he flew F-16s in the U.S. Air Force and later became a commercial pilot for Delta Air Lines. Cowden said he started flying aerobatic planes because it rekindled the thrill he got from flying F-16s.

Police say the crash scene has been turned over to federal investigators.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Previous StoryPolice say a small plane crashed at an air show in central Wisconsin, killing the 47-year-old pilot.

The crash happened about 12:20 p.m. Sunday at the Stevens Point Municipal Airport. Police say the plane was performing aerial maneuvers when it went down in a wooded area about 1,000 feet east of the airport runway.

The pilot's name hasn't been released.

Police ended the show and secured the scene. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will conduct an investigation.

Melvin Burskey of Neenah was at the show. He tells Stevens Point Journal Media he couldn't believe what he saw. He says there was a puff of smoke and then the plane went down.

The air show lineup was to include aerobatic performances and World War II aircraft displays.

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